Faye McLean

Durham University Graduate, Archaeology BSc with Placement Year

Faye McLean is a recent graduate from Trevelyan College at Durham University who studied Archaeology BSc with a placement year in commercial archaeology. She is interested in the archaeology of landscape, the environment and geoarchaeology, but most of all likes being in the field, especially when excavating an Iron Age hoard.

How did you become involved in the excavation? 

The opportunity to gain fieldwork experience alongside leading researchers and commercial archaeology companies was one of the reasons I chose Durham University's Department of Archaeology. After my second year, I was fortunate to join the excavation as a summer volunteer, continuing into the autumn as a trainee archaeologist with Archaeological Services Durham University (ASDU) for my placement year. 

How was the hoard discovered and why was an excavation opened? 

A local detectorist, Peter Head, alerted the department after finding copper alloy horse harness fittings adorned with glass and coral beads. Located beneath the plough soil, these finds prompted a small-scale investigation to recover and study any remaining objects before they could be disturbed from their archaeological context. Led by Professor Tom Moore and Dr Sophia Adams from the British Museum, a team started work in August 2022, expecting a brief, week-long investigation. We soon realised we had an extraordinary Iron Age hoard on our hands. 

How did the excavation progress?

In the first week, we uncovered two dense metalwork deposits sitting on the base of large, backfilled ditches. In trench one, there were copper fittings entwined with iron tyres, likely for chariot or wagon wheels, alongside a copper alloy cauldron crushed by heavy stones. In trench two was a mysterious conglomerate of corroded iron, glinting with green copper objects. This was block-lifted for a CT scan at the University of Southampton before being excavated at Durham University by Dr Emily Williams. 

The more complex trench one deposit took two months to untangle. We found ourselves hardly using trowels, instead carefully separating the metalwork with blunt tools. Each object was photographed, logged on the GPS, and sketched into the deposit plan before being wrapped for transport to the Department of Archaeology. Layer by layer, we uncovered twenty-eight iron tyres, three spears, an unusual cauldron decorated with swimming fish, a copper wine-mixing vessel, a forged iron mirror, and hundreds of objects relating to harnesses, chariots, and wagons. By mid-October 2022, we had retrieved 800 artefacts.

How is the hoard being interpreted?

Throughout the excavation, conversations in the trench circled back to one key question: why? The precious metalwork had been deliberately rendered unusable—the iron tyres twisted, the cauldron crushed, chariots stripped of their parts. Was this an act of conspicuous consumption, a public display of wealth through the destruction of valuable goods? Was it a votive offering, or a funerary commemoration?

Some comparative deposits have been found in sanctuary enclosures and burials in Iron Age France, while the combination of combat, display, and feasting items is similar to later Iron Age funerary deposits from southern Britain. The current theory is that the Melsonby Hoard may be a funerary-related deposit with the potential burial (or burials) located elsewhere. While it is impossible to directly relate the hoard to any specific individual, this discovery offers insights into the region’s wealth and display of power at the time.

What has this experience meant to you?

Being part of this ongoing project with Durham was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will shape my future in archaeology. I was entrusted with excavating an internationally significant assemblage and gained insight into managing a rescue project and its post-excavation processes, including paleoenvironmental analysis, materials analysis, dating techniques, cataloguing, and conservation. The Department's team and ASDU, covering diverse periods and archaeological techniques that bridge science and the humanities, foster a collaborative environment unique to archaeology. It was thrilling to see detectorists, landowners, researchers, museums, and archaeologists come together over a single archaeological deposit to determine how best to approach its excavation, analysis, and preservation. The Melsonby Hoard reaffirmed why I love archaeology: being part of something greater that opens your eyes to a remarkable array of people, both in the past and present.

How did your time at Durham help you get to where you are today?

Durham provided me with an incredible network of support, from both the Department and the University, which has encouraged me to apply for a master’s in the future. The hands-on experience from research excavations and my placement year has been invaluable in preparing me for work in commercial archaeology.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of studying Archaeology at Durham?

If you enjoy being outdoors, working in teams, and learning about people, archaeology might be perfect for you. I recommend volunteering at a research or community archaeology excavation before university to gain experience and see if you enjoy digging. It can be challenging but rewarding—you might even uncover real treasure!

Find out more:

• Find out more about fieldwork while studying with the Department of Archaeology